From Industry to Impact: Michael Corcoran to Lead Experiential Learning and Sustainability

A distinguished alumnus and seasoned corporate sustainability leader, Corcoran brings more than three decades of practical experience in environmental strategy, operational performance, and cross‑functional leadership to the School of Business. 

His appointment strengthens the School's nationally recognized M.B.A. programs at a moment when experiential learning, industry relevance, and sustainability competence are more essential than ever. 

Corcoran's career at PPG Industries includes extensive work in waste reduction, water stewardship, greenhouse‑gas management, and sustainability reporting, giving him a unique command of how organizations set science‑based targets, build implementation plans, and measure real‑world impact. His view that sustainability and business strategy "shouldn't be separate…they should be integrated" reflects the philosophy he now brings into the classroom. 

In 2024, two pivotal moments set Corcoran on the path to academia: becoming eligible to retire after more than 30 years at PPG and meeting Dr. Karen Donovan, who invited him to speak on a sustainability careers panel—a conversation that ultimately sparked his shift from corporate leadership to academic impact.

Since then, he has taught the Flex M.B.A. Strategic Management Capstone course and two One-Year M.B.A. courses—Strategic Sustainability Models and Impact Investing and Strategic Consulting —quickly becoming a student‑centered educator known for his empathy, clarity, and practical approach.

"Every time I teach, I feel like I'm making a difference," he said, noting that student success is deeply personal to him: "When they succeed, it's a success for me as well."

Bringing Corcoran on as Associate Director of M.B.A. Experiential Learning & Sustainability formalizes and expands the work he has already begun to shape, most notably through a multi‑semester experiential initiative known as the Abandoned Boats Project.  

Embedded in the Flex M.B.A. Strategic Management Capstone course, this ambitious collaboration engages M.B.A. students with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Heidelberg Materials to examine existing government regulations and propose new implementation approaches, explore vessel‑turn‑in programs, and assess the feasibility of repurposing fiberglass hulls for concrete manufacturing. 

M.B.A. students confronted real logistical, regulatory, environmental, and financial questions facing regional partners. Corcoran guided them to think not only about what solutions should look like, but how they could be implemented, emphasizing that corporate partners "don't want academic solutions… they want something realistic and implementable."

Corcoran's influence extends beyond individual projects. His industry‑tested framework helps students understand the full business case for sustainability—covering impact on customers, cost‑benefit analysis, regulatory implications, environmental outcomes, and opportunities for innovation. He also stresses the importance of valuing sustainability benefits on equal footing with efficiency gains, a perspective shaped by both his engineering training and strategic leadership roles. 

The result is an approach to experiential learning that mirrors the expectations of modern employers. Students who work with Corcoran learn to analyze operations with rigor, design feasible sustainability strategies, and communicate recommendations in ways that resonate with executive decision‑makers. Through his deep connections across industry and the Pittsburgh business community, Corcoran also expands opportunities for consulting projects, site visits, professional networking, and talent pipelines. 

Students already recognize the value he brings. Trey Goff (M.B.A.'25) shared that having Corcoran as a sustainability professor was "one of the most valuable parts of my M.B.A. experience," noting that his "deep industry knowledge and practical approach brought the subject to life" and shaped how he now thinks about sustainability in his career. Goff is employed at Federated Hermes, where he credits his M.B.A. education for shaping "how I think about sustainability in my career today."

As a Duquesne M.B.A. alumnus himself, Corcoran credits his own degree with providing the credibility, work ethic, and holistic business understanding that shaped his rise within corporate leadership. Now, returning to the School in a leadership role, he aims to provide today's M.B.A. students with the same tools—augmented by decades of firsthand industry experience and a deep commitment to Duquesne's Spiritan values of ethical leadership, service, and care for community. 

Corcoran's appointment signals a forward‑looking investment in the School's mission and in the next generation of business leaders: leaders who understand complexity, think globally, value sustainability, and translate ideas into action. His presence strengthens an M.B.A. experience designed not only to prepare graduates for successful careers but to empower them to create meaningful, positive impact in their organizations and communities.